Silent Star's Path (Discontinued)
by Silent Shiver
Summary: This is Silent'Stars path. It has been twelve seasons since the Great Battle, and it has since been rose-tinted, many cats believing the Dark Forest is just a myth, if they know about it at all. Bramble'Star has died, as all the other leaders have when a rogue group killed them in a secret meeting between the four leaders. Note: Skyclan is not at the lake. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Silent Star paced the mist-wreathed forest floor, the tall, ghostly trees that leaned towards each other, blocking out the starless sky. Her white tail tip flicked in the air behind her, swishing through the air behind her like a warning beacon. She heard a faint swishing throughout the damp forest, the air seeming to quiet with the sound of many footsteps padding on the damp, bare forest floor that was her hell. She allowed a satisfied gleam to enter her piercing emerald eyes, her long, elegant ears twitching, straining to capture the sounds of many cats moving throughout the seemingly endless forest. Her lithe, ebony body stalked through the forest, and she ignored the disgusting feeling of the damp, rotting ferns brushing her flanks. She twitched her whiskers in disgust, the only emotion she allowed herself. She sighed sharply, spearing to the pile of rotting wood in a clearing she knew was not far away.

Silent star's muscles bunched as she lept atop the pile of woods, her claws digging into the weak wood that threatened to give out beneath her. If another cat was watching, they would have seen a sleek, elegant ebony body, honed by seasons of training. Her thick glossy fur hiding the countless, brutal scars that covered her body like fleas. She had long, gleaming bone-like claws that had spilled many cats lifeblood onto the earth. She had a long, sleek tail, its tip gleaming like freshly fallen snow. Her eyes, piercing green that had been the last thing many rebellious cats had seen with dying eyes. She paced atop the slick, fungi covered wood, the fungi giving a sickly green glow that wasn't healthy. Finally, the cats wove through the trees, the leaves swishing as they made their way to their located places. Some cats bypassed the clearing entirely, going to other places in this hellhole. Some murmured to one another, some forgoing the pleasantries of speech entirely. She let out a barely audible breath, sitting down on her haunches. "Alright, you mouse-hearts. " she growled, tail lashing as her mind flashed back to 12 seasons ago, when the Great Battle was fought and lost. Since then, she had taken control of the Dark Forest, because all the other leaders had fallen. She pulled her mind back to the present, continuing " Dawn Paw, fight Shadow Fire" she ordered. The cream coloured she-cat Dark Forest apprentice headed off to a subsection of the clearing, the black she-cat following close behind. "Otter Snout, fight Owl Scar, and Dusk Heart, go fight Blizzard Vine." A young brown tom headed off, a cream top with black apples across his back headed after Otter Snout, the ugly pink scar for which he was named for sliding from his neck to the start of his tail. Dusk Heart headed away from the clearing, his grey pelt rippling as a white she-cat with black patterns snaking from her tail tip to her nose, which looked quite alike vines, headed after him. "Crow Step, Pike Nose, Badger Puddle, Ashen Flank and Dusk fire, stay here. " The black tom nodded, while Pike Nose and Badger Puddle, a small black she-cat with white stripes inclined her head slightly, a small nod. Silent Star surveyed the cats below. Yes, it seemed that all of the Dark Forest warriors had gone, pairing off with their apprentices. She gave a slight nod at Crow Stream, a massive muscular tom, his thin black pelt not hiding the many battle scars he wore with an insane pride and caught his charcoal coloured eyes, full of indecision to either head off, or stay. He nodded, he would stay to help her train the apprentices without mentors. Ice petal and White Strike lurked in the shadows behind her, their snow coloured pelts somehow seemed to blend into the shadows. The she-cat and tom stepped forwards at a flick of her white-tipped tail, coming forward to flank her.


	2. Chapter 2

Silent Shivers Path Chapter 2

Thanks for the review, DappledLeafTheBootiful! Flanking: for example, either side. She strode up her litter mates flanking her on either side. Insane pride: a pride that's insane e.g he wore his long scar with an insane pride. Thanks for letting me know about how the names are spelt, and I saw others write it in numbers and I wasn't aware it was incorrect. Really appreciate my first review! Anyway, on with the story.

Ice petal and White Strike lurked in the shadows behind her, their snow coloured pelts somehow seemed to blend into the shadows. The she-cat and tom stepped forwards at a flick of her white-tipped tail, coming f cars he wore with an insane pride and caught his charcoal coloured eyes, full of indecision to either head off, or stay. He nodded, he would stay to help her train the apprentices without mentors forwards to flank her.

-–-–-–-

The two littermates, formerly Riverclan's postures were threatening, their blue/grey eyes full of the promise of violence if the apprentices did anything wrong, would be a sight most clanborn warriors would shy from, but that was expected from two of the highest ranking dark forest warriors. BadgerPuddle was surveying them, taking in their strengths and weaknesses with a focus she knew would be useful in battle. CrowStep's copper eyes narrowed in distaste, a habit he'd picked up from Starclan-knows where, as well as an insufferable swagger. PikeNose just stared at the two warriors on either side of them, his thin brown pelt, Windclan scent all over it barely hiding his shifting muscles as he tensed. However, there was no shining kernel of cleverness, of cunning behind those hazel eyes. He would be no use in training with the finer aspects of combat, the tricks and strategies that would be needed in a battle with most warriors. No, he was one for brute attacks, when all you needed was basic battle skills and a heap ton of muscle. AshenFlank simply stood rock still, not giving one-inch to the blue/grey eyes that roved over her lithe form, the dark grey pelt and midnight coloured dapples that blended in with shadows as easily as breathing, the piercing green eyes that were akin to her own, and a kernel of cunning and cleverness shined beneath those emerald green eyes. A cat to be taken seriously, and trained properly. Especially because that pelt of hers hid a massive amount of muscle that had been earned the hard way. DuskFire was a favourite among the dark forest warriors because of the fact he was a relative of ClawFace, although you couldn't tell that from the light grey pelt, and sea blue eyes flecked with grey that reminded her every time she saw them of a river, but she hated the fact that he expected everything laid at his feet, almost like Firestar. For example, the beautiful dark-grey with black dapples standing next to him. She flicked her tail irritably at the fact he had been trying to get her attention for Starclan-knows how long, and mooned over her like a dove and its chicks. Not to mention the fact that because AshenFlank and DuskFire were both in Shadowclan, he had all-day to follow her around.

She snapped her head out of her thoughts, although just over a heartbeat had passed since she had become lost in her thoughts. "PikeNose, Crowstep I want you two to battle each other, no being wimps like you usually are" she snarled, the pair nodding and moving away from the log pile.

"Badgerpuddle, DuskFire, you two are going to be a pair" she continued on, even as she saw DuskFire's broad shoulders slump in disappointment, and Badgerpuddle's black and white form turn and pad a few fox-lengths from the log pile, DuskFire following reluctantly behind her.

" AshenFlank, you will be fighting with me," she said, then added " Ice Petal, you will supervise PikeNose and Crowstep's practice. White Strike, you will watch Badgerpuddle and DuskFire's battle." she said, pausing for a breath.

" Don't let them chicken out, same goes for all of you." She added, her voice laced with barely concealed warning.

"CrowStream, I want you to pay attention to the apprentice's fights. We will have different rounds, and one lucky cat may receive Icepetal, Whitestrike, yourself of I as their mentor" she decided. " Any questions?" she asked irritably, as though she wished for the talk to end and the fight to start." Pikenose raised a paw, and she caught Crowstream's eye, and he whirled towards the apprentice a few tail lengths away and raked his claws down his face, narrowly avoiding his hazel eyes. "SilentStar said enough, and you are to be blamed for the fact that you didn't listen!" he hissed, sheathing his bloody claws, the blood dripping from Pikenose's face onto the bare forest floor. Pikenose and Crowstep fought, and, unsurprisingly the latter won. Badgerpuddle beat DuskFire easily, not even a claw mark on her when DuskFire yielded. She beat AshenFlank, barely, both of them panting and bloody by the time AshenFlank yielded. They all slinked out of the clearing the moment she allowed them to, paws dragging and tails drooping. She smiled in satisfaction, turning to attend to her own wounds, away from the dark forest warriors and apprentices.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! Hope you've been enjoying this story so far! I hope to update more, and you can PM or tell me via a review what you'd like me to add, if you have any problems, or if you enjoy!

Shadowclan Allegiances

Leader

SwanStar – a white she-cat with grey dapples

Deputy

Cinderspot – a grey tabby tom with a black pelt

Medicine cat(s)

Olivenight- a dark tabby she-cat

Apprentice, Summerpaw ( short tan-furred she-cat)

Warriors

Cloverpatch – a yellow she-cat with a white tail-tip

Cedarstream – a reddish brown tom with large green eyes

Apprentice, Breezepaw (hazel coloured tom with hazel eyes)

Sandybrook – a sand coloured tom,

Apprentice, Mothpaw (golden tabby she-cat)

Amberfang – a feisty amber coloured she-cat,

Apprentice, Duskpaw (grey tom)

Shadowpelt – a reclusive black tom

Darkwing – a grey tabby tom with black markings

Emeraldvine – fluffy dark tabby tom with dark amber eyes

Ivoryfeather – short ginger-furred she-cat with ice blue eyes

Duskfire – light grey tom with ice blue eyes flecked with grey

Ashenflank – beautiful dark grey she-cat with black dapples across her back, with piercing green eyes

Apprentice, Morningpaw (ginger-furred she-cat, with pine coloured eyes)

Queens

Pouncepuddle – a soft grey-furred she-cat (kits; Dawnkit – bright orange furred she-kit, Whitekit – silver tabby she-kit and River kit, a silver-furred tom-kit with blue eyes)

Duskmoon – a soft black furred she-cat

Maplemask – a fluffy dark tabby she-cat (kits; Rabbitkit – silver furred she-kit and Rainkit, a grey-furred tom-kit)

Elders

Dream belly – fluffy dark brown tabby she-cat with dark yellow eyes

Winterflight – silver furred she-cat

She smiled in satisfaction, turning to attend to her own wounds, away from the dark forest warriors and She smiled in satisfaction, turning to attend to her own wounds, away from the dark forest

warriors and apprentices.

Ashenflank's POV

Ashenflank padded towards camp, a thrush and two voles hanging from her mouth, Morningpaw and the rest of her hunting patrol following close behind her. Sandybrook, Mothpaw, Amberfang and Duskpaw all had prey, mostly lizards and a few frogs. She'd managed to grab a few pieces of prey from Thunderclan's border when a border patrol unwittingly scared them towards her. She ducked through the entrance, brambles tugging at her grey fur. She headed towards the fresh-kill pile, her patrol following close behind as she dropped her two voles and padded towards a place with fresh sunlight warming the ground, her thrush in her mouth, her stomach rumbling. Morningpaw followed along behind her as she sat down, prepared to devour the thrush. Ashenflank saw the indecision in her apprentice's pine coloured gaze. " Go get some prey and eat. Then go ask Olivenight or Summerpaw for some mouse bile and check the elders for ticks. I'd appreciate it if you could go find Duskpaw or Mothpaw and tell them to do the same, " she told her apprentice. She was about to start eating when Cedarstream settled down beside her. " Mind if I have some? " he asked, his fern coloured gaze sparkling with warmth as his eyes met hers. "Sure," she said warmly, deftly cutting the bird in half and giving him his share. They both ate it quickly in silence." I wonder when Duskmoon will have her kits? " Duskmoon was her mother, so she was worried as she asked that question to him. " Not too sure" he replied ruefully. " Though I can't imagine she'll get much bigger" he added, purring. " I heard that!" was the muffled reply from the nursery. Ashenflank chuckled.

" Olivenight said Duskmoon is due to have my kits next moon," he said after a pause. " Ah well. I best get back to Breezepaw, lest he put ants in Mothpaw's nest again. " He huffed a laugh. " That was _**HIM!?**_ " she exclaimed in shock, but he was already up and padding away. She stretched her limbs, her gaze roving around the camp when her eyes landed on Duskfire.

 _Somehow_ he looked _very_ well groomed, his pale grey pelt practically sparkling in the sunlight of the early afternoon. A small part of her wondered how long he'd spent grooming his pelt as he got up and padded towards her. Inwardly she cringed, but she forced her fur to lie flat and to keep her gaze neutral. Duskfire had wanted her to be his mate since their apprenticeship, and she had absolutely no interest in the light grey tom. Swanstar was a strong leader, but she barely paid attention to the clan she leads, often disappearing for days at a time for absolutely no apparent reason. However, whenever she returned, her scent was absolutely clean, and her pelt was often damp, as though she had washed in a stream or the lake before she returned to her clan.

Cinderspot had been a great tom/father figure, but Duskfire was his kit and turned a blind eye to all of the attempts to get her to be his mate. She mentally shook her head as Duskfire approached, drawing ever nearer. She racked her mind for an excuse to get away from him, but none came. He finally reached her, sitting down next to her, his pelt brushing hers. She fought the instinct to cringe away from his every touch, hating the contact between them. " I thought we could possibly ask Cinderspot if we could go patrol the border of the unclaimed forest" he suggested, but his words had a rehearsed sound to them, so it wasn't hard to figure out that he'd been practising ever since she left on the sun high hunting patrol. She suppressed a sigh at the words, forcibly closing her mouth to stop a sharp retort from bursting out of her.

Turns out, Cinderspot was nowhere to be found. By the time Duskfire _finally_ tracked him down, it was sometime after the sun had set, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. A moonless night, she supposed, was suitable for what task she was given by SilentStar.

"Alright, Ashenflank, I want you to follow me. Don't forget I can kill you in ways you haven't even imagine, if you try anything funny" SilentStar snarled, her piercing basil coloured eyes full of green flame. "Crowstream, I want you working these mouse-hearts into the ground" she ordered/snarled to him. Something had _definitely_ set her off, and _she_ for one didn't want to get on the wrong end of Silentstar's wrath. She'd seen another apprentice accidentally irritate her in the slightest when she was in this mood, and it didn't end well for him, or the cats in his immediate vicinity. They trekked through the dark forest for what seemed like hours, and probably was. Finally, Silentstar stopped in the middle of a diminutive clearing, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she said to Ashenflank, " I need you to help me kill someone".

A cliffhanger if there ever was one :D Anyway, I decided to make a trivia!

Who is

Thistleclaws sons, mate's, daughters, sons, father?


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, Silentstar stopped in the middle of a diminutive clearing, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she said to Ashenflank, " I need you to help me kill someone".

Silent stars POV

"I need you to help me kill someone" she spoke, turning to face Ashenflank. Those green eyes flared – barely. If Ashenflank was shocked, she didn't show it. " Who?" was all she asked.

"Sparrowfur of Thunderclan. A brown she-cat with a light brown patch on her chest, and orange/gold eyes, "

Silentstar explained to Ashenflank. " The deputy" Ashenflank said finally after a long pause. She only nodded soundlessly. "I need _you_ to imagine to be somewhere hidden in Thunderclan territory," she told the apprentice.

"Not yet!"

she meowed in warning as the apprentice began to shimmer.

"If I'm touching you, then as you go to wherever, I will go as well. Then I will have to hide and make sure that no cat see's me until I can go back to the Dark Forest. Got it?"

she asked Ashenflank, who nodded. She laid her tail on the apprentice's shoulder lightly, the ebony fur swallowed up by her grey fur. Silentstar felt a peculiar feeling as she was transported back to the earth she had been born on, hunted on, become apprenticed on, killed on, become a warrior, deputy and leader on, and finally died nine times on. " How's your mother?" she asked, blinking away the burning in her eyes, and almost stepped off into thin air. She swallowed a hiss and turned to Ashenflank, who was trying not to purr in amusement. "That was uncalled for…" she muttered irritably. " Duskmoon is fine, and we are near the Thunderclan camp. Sparrowfur often leaves the camp at night to wander the forest, for whatever reason. She should walk right underneath us, and it's far enough away from camp for her to not easily be heard, and she is quite unfit." Ashenflank told her. Looking around, she could see they were on a low limb of a large oak tree, roughly five fox-lengths from the ground, the leaves concealing them from the ground below. In the distance, she could see the Thunderclan camp, although it was silent. Her thoughts wandered to Sparrowfur. She was trying to stir up trouble and had almost convinced their clan leader, Logstar, a brown tom, that the Dark Forest was indeed real and posed a threat to them.

However, the general camp opinion was that the Dark Forest wasn't real and that something needed to be done about this meddling mouse-brained deputy.

Well, she and Ashenflank would be happy to oblige. As if in answer to her thoughts, a small figure padded through the undergrowth beneath them. Ashenflank tilted her head uncertainly, unsure of what to do. She flicked her tail, signalling that she should stay behind Sparrowfur and that she would go in front. Ashenflank nodded and lept from the tree branch silently, the slight movement of the branches the only sign she had ever been there.

Silentstar ran through the trees tops, leaping from branch to branch until she came to a clearing, a large old oak tree at the base of it. She lept down soundlessly, the pawsteps of the unaware victim-to-be the only sound in the silent forest, as though the whole world were holding its breath for the confrontation that was about to begin. She sat down at the base of the tree, folding her tail over her paws and began to groom herself, the silver half-light of the moon the only light in the clearing as a brown she-cat with a light brown patch on her chest and orange/gold eyes stepped into the clearing, her eyes flaring with shock that was quickly hidden behind narrowed eyes as she stared at her. "Well well well, Silentstar. Fancy seeing you here"


End file.
